A new popularity in books has several writers featuring their characters solving a mystery, starring kitchen divas of various talents and sharing some of their winning recipes. So, let’s see what this is all about!
First was IF FRIED CHICKEN COULD FLY by Paige Shelton and followed by IF MASHED POTATOES COULD DANCE. Both of these books concern “Gram’s Country Cooking School” in a small Southern Missouri town by the name of Broken Rope. This town is famous for its past years’ outlaw residents who had succumbed in various gruesome ways: i.e., gun battles, knife fights, and of course, hangings. And the botched hanging of a “bad guy” was where the town got its name.
The school is run by both Gram, a vibrant older woman and her grand-daughter, Betts. And each has the very unusual talent of seeing and conversing with the ghostly apparition of several prior residents; a happening that becomes somewhat disconcerting when speaking with another non-seeing person. However, each of the ghosts is able to help Gram and Betts solve a mystery by leaking various clues at propitious moments. Reading first IF FRIED CHICKEN … was a little difficult in putting it all together; however the second book, IF MASHED POTATOES … was much better. A fun experience, but I kept looking over my shoulder for a ghost to help me write this!
Next was DEATH OF A KITCHEN DIVA by Lee Hollis, which is really a brother and sister team, each residing on a different Coast. The star of the book is Hayley Powell, a single Mom who lives in Bar Harbor, Maine, and is the office manager of one of the local newspapers, the Island Times. Suddenly, her boss, the editor, decides it’s time for Hayley to branch out, and assigns to her the Food and Spirits column as the previous writer, all of ninety-six years, has finally decided to retire. Despite her lack of writing experience, but because of her cooking ability, Hayley decides it’s worth a try, and besides, she could make some extra money.
All is proceeding somewhat on track until Hayley discovers the dead body of her competitor from another paper. And, horrors of horrors, this one is found face-down in a bowl of Hayley’s highly recommended Clam Chowder!
The book is a delight to read as it is extremely comical with jabs pointed at everything and everyone; the recipes look great; several I’m definitely going to try. Highly recommend it for a fun reading.
And the last was THE DIVA PAINTS THE TOWN by Krista Davis. And not so much of a mystery set in the kitchen as one involving interior decorators. However, there are some recipes at the back of the book.
I found the book difficult to read and almost impossible to keep track of all the characters Noted that the author has several other books in a Diva series; not too certain that I would want to spend the time reading them.
Not certain, but maybe I’ll be into reviewing books for the male reader. We’ll see.
I know I’ve used the following quote for several years, but it really makes sense:
Just think about it!
“When An Old Person Dies, A Library Burns Down!”
Karen Gillespie
And we certainly don’t want our Library to burn down!
kubeckasue@yahoo.com
361 798-0560
